Great War of Gatholit
by Dasfg5
Summary: An ancient evil has awaken in the countinent of Gatholit, an evil capable of destroying the countinent and conquering the world. Only Brave youths and Gatholits vast army stand aganist this evil, but will it be enough? Find out in the thrilling adventure.
1. Chapter 1

The Great War of Gatholit

By

Steven Beardsley

Prologue: Gatholit's History

The continent of Gatholit, a secret continent located in a strange new dimension.

This continent was filled with peace and hope, where humans and demi-humans could live together in peace and harmony. The continent only had three countries plus the laguz provinces, they were, Derdar, Yetzaspar, and Ochilotar. The other laguz provinces lived on the outer border and protected the land from enemies, these tribes were known as, the wolves, beast, dragon, bird, and heron tribes. But, like other continents this peace wouldn't last.. The king and queen of each of the two countries Derdar and Yetzaspar began to quarrel with each other, thus splitting the countries into four different ones. The kings joined up in an alliance and became brother countries Daryth and Eder while the queens became sister countries Spartezar and Yetzer. After a war had broke out, Ochilotar stepped in. They signed a treaty that forbade their conflict without a signed document of war from the other country and permission from their brother or sister country and from Ochilotar, but, hatred grew, the demi-humans, fearing the worst, broke off.

The wolves joined up with the Thancor tribe in Spartezar, the beast moved to the Great Gatholit Mountains, the dragons hid themselves in the southern tip of Ochilotar, and the birds broke off and lived near the ocean. Many wars and years have past and now a great threat that has caused past conflicts has appeared once again, but this time a new type of hope emerges.

**Part One: Darkness Awaken**

Chapter One: A New beginning

"Hey Sar! I got it!" a green haired boy shouted running through the grass and the abundant amount of flowers, " Oops! Wah!" he screamed tripping on his sandals falling face flat into the fresh scented plants.

" Martin!" the boy named Sarkanto called rushing to him his long red hair whipping in the wind and red armor clanking as he took each step, " Are you okay?" he asked kneeling down by him.

" Ugh . . . I'm fine. Here, Sar, I found it," he replied getting up and dusting his robes handing Sarkanto the rose he had found.

" Thanks Martin. I can always count on you," he exclaimed smiling and putting the rose in his small pouch.

" No problem. Come on let's go we have to reach Daryth by nightfall!" he explained running ahead.

" Martin, wait up!" the two boys ran through the trees and reached the small town of Daryth signifying they had crossed the border. As people were going about their business, the town was filled with loud chattering, bargaining, and the sounds of animals were barely heard.

Sarkanto smiled as he looked up at the clear, blue sky. There wasn't a cloud insight and it was rather pleasant day with mild heat and a nice cool breeze.

" Ah. It's so beautiful isn't, Martin?" he asked smiling, his hand on his hip by the sheath of his sword as he walked up to him his blue boots shined in the sun.

" Yes indeed. Let's head to the inn and I'll get us a room," he replied back.

Crisella walked aimlessly around the desert of Spartezar the sun beaming down on her harshly and the sand in the wind rushing violently through her red hair.

" Brother . . . Where are you?" she asked through the loud noise of the wind. She had almost reached a small village with other travelers and was very grateful to finally get out of the desert sun,

" Ugh . . . Man I'm tired I better rest in a shack or something," she coughed, dry and disgusting sand getting in her throat as she finally reached the village collapsing on the ground. After she got up, she entered a small hut to rest. The hut's inside looked like an inn only it had a small wooden couch and a fireplace. After a bit of looking around she went up to the owner of the hut.

" Excuse me, sir, but may I stay here for a while? I have the money and everything," she explained tiredly. The man glanced down at Crisella and his eyes widened as if he were staring at some strange anomaly.

" You're... You're... Please, just pick any room no need for payment! Just go right ahead! Here!" the owner stuttered nervously handing over the room key.

" Um? Okay thanks... I guess," she replied uncertainly as she went upstairs and knocked on one of the doors. No one answered so she opened the door and entered the room.

The room was rather plain with a bed in the middle by a cabinet with a candle on top. A window was located to the right of that and a bathroom was made in back of the room. There was a small kitchen with a rat hole was seen visible by the kitchen area.

" Wow what a lovely room," she exclaimed sarcastically, " Might as well head to bed. Hmm... I wonder what if I had. No it still would have been the same. Ah," she whispered sadly closing the blinds and putting out the candle light as she went to bed soundly and unknowingly.

" Look I'm gonna be gone for awhile so don't tell the king or anyone else in the country. If they realize I'm gone it will cause great pandemonium," A blonde man in white robes explained.

" But...But, Tazuka you can't leave! What am I supposed to tell them if they ask for you?" a holy man asked while the man called Tazuka packed.

" Look. They'll survive without me. I mean it's Ocilotar the strongest and biggest country on the continent. Just tell them I'm in a meeting or something. You'll think of something, Razon, I know you will," he replied with a smile as he left the room, his long white cape crossing the red carpet which he walked on.

" What!? I protest! His majesty and the queen aren't dumb, they'll figure it out sooner or later," he yelled back and then sprinted after Tazuka, " My lord, please, you can't leave!! You just can't! What will I do? Please I'm begging!" he protested going down on his knees and crying.

" Razon, Stop! I'll only be gone for about a month.

" A month!? That's even worse please don't go!"

" Oh, Razon... I'll be leaving now, bye," he replied annoyed leaving the castle.

" Oh great now what will I do?" Razon asked to nobody in particular as Tazuka walked outside and went to the stables for a horse. Razon shuddered as he went into the throne room.

" Well I don't have to tell them... I mean after all what they know won't hurt them... Hee... Ugh," he whispered to himself. Suddenly the king overheard him and approached him from behind, his face rather cross.

" Razon. What's going on, are you stirring up trouble again?" he asked in a commanding tone. The holy man shivered and gulped noisily.

" Y-your m-majesty I was just... Um, I'm, uh," he stuttered sweating up a storm.

" Hmm? Fine it seems you don't know how to speak properly. Look, Razon, tell me now! What's going on!?" the king asked even louder and more commanding his blues eyes turning into flames.

" Uh...I. No...I mean... Okay fine!!! Tazuka left for a month to tour the continent!!!!!" he yelled crying, " It wasn't my fault!!! I tried I really did but he wouldn't listen!!!!!" he bawled.

" No... Tazuka oh, dear what will we do now?" the king asked, suddenly very stressed and ragged.

The next day Martin and Sarkanto got up and got ready for the journey ahead. Although Martin wanted to buy a house so next time they were there they wouldn't need to stay at an inn.

" Martin, I don't think we can afford a house. Besides what if it get's infested by bees or bandits destroy it?" Sarkanto protested as they approached a small hut.

" It's okay, Sar, I'll pay for it and besides there aren't any insects around or bandits. It'll be fine," he replied approaching the an old man wearing a straw hat, " I was wondering, could we buy this hut from you?

" Hmm... Well it's about time I sold this hut anyway. All right how much money do you got?" the man asked.

" Let's see 100...200...Oh about 500 gold," he replied.

" All right here you go," the man cried out ecstatically, taking the money. All of a sudden a warning was issued by the mayor of the town as soldiers in yellow armor began to emerge from the forest that surrounded the town.

Over in the distance, the castle of Daryth was being overrun by more of the soldiers. Due to the surprise attack the Daryth men were unprepared and would lose the battle. Birds, rabbits, and other animals shrieked as they ran away and the air was filled with terrible screams of terror.

" I told you buying a house was foolish," Sarkanto suddenly exclaimed.

" Wait those men they wear yellow armor... They're Yetzer's men!!! Sar, quickly we have to get out of here before they capture us and likely kill us!" Martin replied urgently grabbing Sarkanto and leaving the hut the old man appeared to of escape, but the sky was beginning to turn a dark grey as the clouds covered the sun. More soldiers in yellow appeared, this time on brown horses with torches and lit houses on fire. Martin took out his tome and readied it as they ran.

" Those dirty little! Martin, we have to fight them I won't allow them to destroy this town or the house we just bought! Come on!"

" Sarkanto! No wait! Think before you act! Ah! You're hopeless! Okay wait for me!" Martin called chasing after Sarkanto his green cape rippling in the wind. It began to rain putting out some of the fire but smells of blood filled the air as the two ran.

" Darn it! I can't believe this is happening!" Sarkanto yelled tightening his green sash and taking out his swords. Three of the soldiers noticed Sarkanto and charged with their lances facing forward, but he charged back at them and blocked their lances. Martin ran and shot a fire ball while reading the spell from his tome. The attack smashed a soldier and hurled him into the mud.

Sarkanto slashed at the other two soldiers, breaking their lances and then he followed it up with a stab to their stomachs. They both fell dead which alerted some mages. But of course Martin had created two more fireballs and took down both mages while dodging their counterattacks without breaking a sweat.

" Good job, Martin! Quickly, let's go see what's going on at Daryth Castle," Sarkanto told him while dodging another soldier's lance and then following it up with a horizontal strike.

Martin nodded finishing the soldier off with a fireball and following Sarkanto as he began leading the way, " Sar, things could be dangerous if only the two of us go," Martin reminded him as their footsteps rang through the damp, rundown streets. The other soldiers ignored them as they continued to destroy the houses until the Daryth patrol appeared driving the soldiers away and also allowing Sarkanto and Martin to escape.

" Maybe we can meet up with someone," Sarkanto replied and then stopped as they were outside the borders of the town and inside a small forest. It still continued to rain and sounds off pain and bloodshed were heard from the village still without the sound of animals.

" Maybe.. I think I know a few people who could help us.. But for now let's rest here for a while," Martin answered sitting down by a tree and taking out some medical herbs and rubbing them on his wounds. His short green hair became really long and wet as it hung down next to his shoulders due to the rain and his robes were soaked. Sarkanto smiled sitting down beside him and taking off his pack.

" I don't think we should get involved," Martin suddenly exclaimed with a straight face as he wrung out his robe sleeve.

" Martin, if we don't, what do you think will happen?"

" I don't think we need to get involved. The other nations will find out anyway.. Besides, I'm sure that Ochilotar can work something out,"

" I think we should anyway. It should be quite the adventure. Please, Martin!" Sarkanto pleaded. Martin glanced at him and looked off to ponder this.

" Hmph.. Fine, Sar! I'll start a fire and then we can be off tomorrow," Martin explained annoyed as he went off to get firewood. Yet he smiled anyway.

Tazuka had already left Ocilotar in disguise as a merchant. When he finally left the town he took off his disguise, " These uniforms always smell like old, roasted barf!" he exclaimed disgusted, " Good thing I managed to escape, I almost thought that old lady knew who I was," he sighed long before he heard a loud yowl in the trees. Tazuka rushed off to see want was going on. He made his way through the clustered trees and spotted a dead cat along with a mysterious young woman in the clearing.

The woman had long black hair, a long sleeved black blouse, and she wore a black striped skirt.

Tazuka entered the clearing calmly and knelt down by the dead cat and then looked at the other woman who was holding a bow. She looked to be only 15 and Tazuka asked her,

" Who are you?" which startled the woman who didn't seem to be paying much attention.

" Ah!! Stay back!" she screamed, startled, backing off a couple feet and readying her bow.

" I'm not afraid to use this!" she added, notching an arrow.

" Look, I was just wondering who you were and what you were" but he got cut off as an arrow soared past him, " What! I guess my game is off today" she shrugged but stopped to look at Tazuka's noble clothing, " Wait you're a holy man, aren't you? My name is Keika," she said solemnly bowing her head at the sight of a holy man, " Now we're getting somewhere. I'm Tazuka," he added cooly motioning for her to come closer, " Father, I have come here to search for protection.. I'm a refugee you see I was traveling with a shaman named Trace. We had recently fled from Yetzer once we found out about the queen," she began to explain glancing back at the ground.

" The queen?" Tazuka asked and then added, " You can just call me Tazuka, "

Keika looked up and then continued, " The queen has sent a battalion of men to attack Daryth and conquer it, which is beyond her calm nature... Something is wrong with her so we went to talk to her and ask if she were alright, but then we saw her with a pink haired woman on a Pegasus and she looked as if she were a Falcon Knight judging be her armor. Anyway, we overheard them talking and then I came to a grim realization," she stopped and then pressed on her voice trembling, " She was possessed.. Trace realized this and nearly knocked over a vase, she noticed us and must have read are minds, because guards came and grabbed us. Trace used his dark magic to make a rift in the room and managed to teleport me outside. I refused many times, but of course, he didn't listen and now I fear that he is in great danger," she finally finished. After a long pause she fell down to her knees.

" Then why are you here?" Tazuka asked bluntly calming her down by taking out some herbs.

" Ah... I came here not only for protection, but then to seek help. Please, I have no where else to go and I'm very tired and hungry,"

" Which is why you killed the cat.. Don't worry I'll help you as best I can," he told her smiling and placing his hand on her shoulder.

Keika jumped up happily, " You will? Thank you so much!!" she shouted hugging Tazuka and then sitting back down, " I found a cave along the path we can rest there," she added dragging Tazuka to the cave.

During all of this he remained calm and before they left he had recovered the dead cat for food if needed. Upon entering the musty, old cave Tazuka settled down and took out his pack and two sleeping bags, " I had thought I would meet someone so I packed just in case," he told Keika smiling, his wisdom was great indeed, " Ha! That was very smart of you. The only thing I have is my bow and a vulnerary," she chortled. A vulnerary was a special healing bottle containing a special creamy salve which caused wounds to heal quickly but it only worked on minor wounds and injuries." Ah, yes, I brought two exilirs as well," Tazuka answered taking out two exilirs from his pouch. Exilirs were like vulneraries only they were able to heal any wound and had a liquid substance instead of a cream inside them. " Ahwoo!!!" a loud cat like howl emitted from the forest causing Tazuka and Keika's faces to wane, " What...What is that?" Keika asked, her voice trembling while Tazuka remained calm.

" Dang sub-humans! You steal some weapons and they come after you! Looks like this is the end for ole Danny the best treasure hunter in Gatholit!" a young short blonde haired boy exclaimed running through the forest from three huge cat, demi-humans.

The demi-humans were human like creatures which transformed into very powerful animals.

The 'human' forms took on the characteristics of the creature they transformed into such as a tail and for the beast tribe.

The laguz that are chasing Danny are known as the beast tribe which are divided into cats, tigers, and lions. Cat laguz are fast but not as strong as their tiger counterparts who are slower while the lions possess both strengths and surpass both types in all skills.

Now then back to our story..

" Sounds like cat laguz to me," Tazuka whispered breaking the long silence that had fallen. With that he ran out of the cave with Keika trailing behind.

" Wait! It could be dangerous! Laguz are really strong and three could easily overpower us!" she shouted to him while they entered the trees. They waited for a bit and then saw Danny and the cats chasing after him, emerge from a few trees, yards away.

" Don't worry about it I'm highly skilled with light magic and besides if we help him he may be able to help us," Tazuka told Keika as she realized that the boy was being chased.

Tazuka took a high level tome out deftly and began reading off the pages. A strange light emerged, stopping the cats in their tracks, it acted as if human like and made a large fist, grabbing at the cats and tossing them to the side.

This angered them as they attempted to get up. Once they regained their balance they let out a powerful yowl and charged forth.

" Ah!! Stay back!" Keika screamed firing an arrow from her bow hitting one of the cats in the right shoulder. The cats didn't falter and began to pounce upon the group, before they could actually pounce, Tazuka casted another spell from his tome which caused arrows made of light to pour on top of the cats. After the arrows had all fallen, the cats laid on the ground dead, unable to transform back to their usual selves.

" Whew.. Thanks a lot. I thought I was a goner. Anyway, I'm Daniel Whiler, but you can call me Danny or Dan for short," the treasure hunter told them dumping his pack on the ground and putting away his dagger. Tazuka knelt down by the cats and then turned to face Danny

" Hello, I'm Tazuka and this is Keika," Tazuka replied staring at Danny's face which had quite a few dirt smudges all over it, he then gazed at his dirty, slightly torn, brown tank top and his baggy light brown pants with holes all over it. He thought for a moment and then glanced at his pack, it contained many lock picks, and a few special weapons. Keika noticed this as well.

" A treasure hunter! You're perfect! That is, can you open locks and doors?" Keika exclaimed.

" Of course I can! I'm a treasure hunter!" Danny replied proudly turning his hand into a fist and placing it on his chest.

" Great! So would you mind joining us? You see my brother Trace was captured while the two of us were at Yetzer Keep, and we need as many people to come and help us rescue him..

Master Tazuka, here, has decided to help and if you're interested I'm sure that there's a lot of treasure at Yetzer castle," Keika explained with a smirk. At the sound of treasure Danny became ardent, smiling mischievously, revealing some chipped teeth,

" Well I must admit I can't deny a challenge.. So I accept!" he exclaimed not giving it much thought, " Great! All right, let's rest in the cave and then we can head to Baltozer, the town located near Yetzer's castle, and restock on supplies and possibly find more people to help!" Keika told them while she and Danny went to the cave Danny being dragged by Keika.

Tazuka laughed a little and then followed them as they began to make a fire and go to sleep.

The next day...

The sun seemed to rise earlier as usual as Tazuka was the first to awake and gaze at the beautiful, sunny day and at all the creatures playing about. After a few seconds of gazing at the wonderful scenery Keika awoke and made a soft yawn, accidentally nudging Danny, thus waking him up he got up sleepily, " Sheesh! Can't a man sleep?! I'm really tired, and I stood up the whole day yesterday and the day before," he told them annoyed as he went back to sleep in his sleeping bag, while Keika sighed quietly and stood up.

" Okay we'll give Mr. Grumpy pants another hour or so, in the meantime I'll go get us some breakfast," she told Tazuka taking her bow and dashing off to go hunting.

" Hmm... Good luck," he replied sitting down on a large rock and beginning to read to pass the time. Meanwhile Keika was stalking a small white rabbit. She crept slowly, the soft grass on her stomach and pointed her bow at the bunny after a few seconds had past and the creature was within range she fired a silent arrow which stuck the poor thing's head, instantly killed it.

" Ah.. Poor little thing. Oh well! Your breakfast now!" she exclaimed, letting her long black her fall down on her shoulder, while she grabbed the dead bunny, she stopped and then listened, clearing her mind of any distractions, she then heard a soft rustle in the bushes and sensed another small figure it was a small deer. She readied her bow and fired another arrow. A loud screech was heard and Keika found out that it wasn't a deer, but a small bird that had emerged from the trees and had glided forward

She sighed, " I was off again.. I'll have to focus a lot more for next time" she scolded, taking the bird and the bunny back to Tazuka and Danny. Tazuka had already finished reading his tome and stood at the entrance of the cave waving to her and she waved back he started a small fire for cooking and was cooking the bunny and the bird inside a small pot while adding some spices,

" Hmm.. I think it could use some lemon for flavor. Keika, could you get a lemon from my bag for me?" he asked her.

" Tazuka where did you learn to cook?" she asked after fetching the lemon and giving it to him, he squeezed some lemon onto the bird and the rabbit while stirring with a stick.

" My mother taught me awhile back. I only know the basic cooking procedures, but anyway it's done now," he replied taking out three plates. The smell from the delightful dish filled the air and then reached Danny who awakened immediately.

" What did you guys cook?" he asked and then took in a large whiff of the food causing his mouth to water, " Mmm.. It smells delicious, I can't remember since I've had something that smelled so good," he added as Tazuka put some of the food onto his plate.

He devoured the food like a starving owl who had lost his prey and once he finished he let out a graceful burp.

" I'm glad you like it!" Tazuka exclaimed laughing and smiling while eating his fill.

" I caught the rabbit and the bird!" Keika added eating a piece of rabbit meat and then added, " But I couldn't find any deer," she felt a tad down but then felt better looking at the food and Tazuka's and Danny's faces. Tazuka put out the fire and went to the river to clean the plates and the bucket which left Keika alone with Danny.

" Danny, how old are you?" Keika asked while Danny had lied down on his back comfortably, " Hmm? Oh, I'm 16," he replied.

" I'm 15. Say, you seem really ragged. Don't you ever take a bath or buy new clothes?"

" Um.. To tell the truth I don't have any money to buy clothes and I don't have any soap unfortunately," he responded sitting up cross legged.

" Ha! You're funny. Hmm... Oh I know! We can go to the hot springs in Baltozer and then you can get a bath and your skin can look so much more... Rejuvenated,"

" Sounds great! We should probably get going!" he suddenly exclaimed as Tazuka returned. He didn't want to tell Keika the truth about his past and how his family deserted him.

Tazuka walked ahead, leading the three of them to the path that would take them to the Eder town of Baltozer. Since the Great Gatholit Mountains separated Ochilotar from the other countries, the king and queen were forced to build a bridge connecting a path from the eastern most side of the Gatholit mountains into Eder. It was a small walk from the capital, but it was also heavily guarded by Ochilotar knights, thankfully, Tazuka was able to stop any guards that would bother them as they walked through the open path with the trees and flowers emitting a sweet scent all around. After a day of travel, they arrived at a large bridge guarded by an armored knight in golden armor.

He approached the three of them and held his lance out,

" Greetings!" he exclaimed, the others replied with a friendly 'hello'. The knight bowed and then walked to the front of the bridge, " If you wish to pass, you must answer my riddle first," he explained. There was a short pause as the trio looked at each other in surprise.

" What is this riddle of which you speak?" Tazuka asked.

The man chortled as he thumped the ground with his lance

" Forwards I am heavy. Backwards I am not. What am I?" Once he had finished Danny scratched his head in confusion, " Umm.. A Dragon falling backwards?" he suggested. The knight shook his head, " You all get one guess, which this one has wasted," he explained, all eyes turning to face Danny. He shrugged in apology. Keika calmed herself and began to think long and hard,

" Forwards I am heavy.. But, backwards I am not.. Maybe it has something to do with a word associated with heavy," Tazuka spoke up. Keika nodded.. She thought more carefully and then she gave a thoughtful smirk. Glancing around at her surroundings she began to formulate an answer and after a few moments it was complete, " A brick! Forwards it is defined as heavy, but backwards it isn't a word at all!" she exclaimed. The knight shook his head, " No.. Then the answer would be any heavy object.. It must have something to do with.." Tazuka explained with a pause at the end.

Danny looked at him, " Tazuka, maybe.. Maybe it has something to do with the word 'not'?" he asked, " I dunno," he shrugged, Keika slapped him across the head, " Quiet! He's trying to think!" she chided. Tazuka ignored them, except for the part about the word 'not'. Suddenly it all came to place like a puzzle.

" Aha! Not spelled backwards is ton!" he exclaimed as he recited the full answer,

" The answer is ton, because forward it is heavy, but when backwards it is 'not'," he explained. The knight nodded, " Very good! You may now pass!" he exclaimed and with that they walked across the rope bridge and made it to the other side and rested.

After a few minutes the three of them gathered their supplies and then walked off to Baltozer, which was a really short walk away. Once they had arrived they looked around at all the busy people creating much cacophony. Tazuka found a wooden sign, while plugging his ears, that directed them to the springs and after much walking they finally made it to a hot spring house.

Tazuka approached the owner, " Hello, a spring relaxation for three, please" he explained laying down a sack of gold. The owner's eyes bulged at the site of the money. Without a single word he skipped about as he directed them to the changing rooms with Tazuka and Danny heading into the male changing room and Keika heading to the woman's changing rooms and then heading into the springs, " Ah.. This is great," Danny exclaimed as he relaxed his bare body upon entering the water which cleaned and cleansed his pores. Tazuka smiled, as he rested on some warm rocks while whistling softly. Meanwhile on the other side...

" Mmm.. I wish I was with them," Keika exclaimed in the other hot springs all alone.

" But I wouldn't want too anyway.. Yucky!" she shuddered her long black hair dipping into the water, she felt at ease, and yet.. Something was amiss..


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, Dasfg5 with chapter 2 of my thrilling story.

Since I've just started please bare with me and talk to me, since I'm a total noob to this site. XD So, if you have questions or concerns please, please tell me, it helps alot. Thank you.

Chapter 2: Maria the Farm girl.

Deep outside the town of Daryth, Martin and Sarkanto awoke with a brief yawn. They gazed up at the sky which was the surface of a glass of water as clear and as bright. The two stood up and stretched, letting the sun warm their bodies while listening to the soothing sounds of the birds chirping. They gathered their supplies and began to walk down the trail without a word having to be said.

Martin walked gingerly along the road after experiencing a good night's sleep which was rather odd due to the noise and the sudden thunderstorm from yesterday. Sarkanto followed while reading a book on sword techniques and combination attacks with a partner. After a few more steps he stopped in place.

" Interesting.. Say, Martin can you perform a 360-degree spin?" he asked suddenly, catching Martin off guard as he nearly tripped over a small pebble.

" What? Why do you ask?" he replied rubbing his head in embarrassment.

" Well I was reading this book and it talks about combination attacks where the partner performs a 360-degree spin while casting fireballs which pin the opponent into a tree, wall, or the ground, and the other partner goes up and finishes the opponent with a stab to the chest," he explained, while glancing up at Martin, instantly making eye contact. Martin smiled and placed his hand on his chin.

" That's a bit interesting... But, you do realize that I would have to do a midair spin while pinning the opponent down if we tried it on the ground," Martin answered thoughtfully.

" Of course!" Sarkanto exclaimed as he returned Martin's smile. After which they continued their promenade down the path, with Martin as happy as ever, while Sarkanto gazed around at the plants and flowers, suddenly losing interest in his book. Martin stopped suddenly and spotted an invisible silk being connected by two trees and exclaimed,

" Wait! There's a trap!" but Sarkanto paid him no mind and bumped into his friend, causing the two of them to trip over the rope and be pulled up by a net.

" Sar! Now look what you did!" Martin scolded attempting to reach his tome as to cast a spell and burn down the net. While Sarkanto glanced around.

" Huh? Oh, I'll just cut this," Sarkanto answered putting away his book and reaching for his sword, he unsheathed it with ease and proceeded to cut with the limited space he had. It was rather tough and he almost struck Martin's head against his hilt.

Martin looked around and observed their surroundings, they were trapped in a huge net six feet from the ground and the rope was made of a very hard material. The trap seemed simple enough, the victims would trip over the silk thread, thus triggering the rope to pull up on them and encase them in a cage like ball with limited space, leaving them dangling above the ground until someone came by to help or if they somehow destroyed the material. After a few moments of cutting Sarkanto frowned.

" I don't think it's working," he said bluntly as his sword was barely cutting the rope at all, " Oh, no, really?" Martin replied sarcastically, as he finally took out his tome which almost knocked Sarkanto in the face due to them being nearly squished together. Martin began to chant slowly and carefully, until he reached the final word.

" All right.. Rotar!" he exclaimed as he read from his tome sending a ring of fire which sliced right through the net. The rest of the rope lit on fire and collapsed to the ground releasing them quite easily. Martin was putting away his tome and dusting off his robes while Sarkanto studied the rope.

" Martin, this rope was put by bandits.. A couple of hours ago judging by the rope.. It's made from a special type of material found in certain plants," Sarkanto told him, " Bandits? Ugh.. Just great," Martin replied tiredly, ignoring the part about the plants.

" Hmm," Sarkanto murmured as he looked over in the direction of where the road extended to only a few yards away. Once it ended there was a small brown barn with three old straw huts. Beyond this there were huge, plowed fields with cows grazing and eating grass. The air gave a musty smell around the farm and a seventeen-year-old girl stood at the entrance of the barn. She had long blue, gorgeous hair, and wore a bright blue shirt and skirt. She had a determined look on her face, that seemed to attract the attention of anyone, especially men.

Sarkanto stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, as if mesmerized by her beauty.

" Hey a barn!" Martin cried out startling Sarkanto.

" Oh, yea.. Let's go over there," he replied closing his eyes embarrassed.

Martin nodded, ignoring his awkwardness as he ran ahead with Sarkanto following along until he finally caught up, the two of them ran down the road side by side like two cavaliers running to their horses, until they had reached an area with a few trees and bushes. Sarkanto stopped Martin and spotted something moving towards the barn. The two hid behind the trees and bushes, while observing what was about to unfold.

" Oh! What do we have here?" a voice called. It was coming from a very ugly looking bandit along with about ten or so other, equally ugly, freaks. The girl stood there, unmoving.

" Get out of here! This is my mother's and grandmother's farm and I'm protecting it until they get back!" the girl replied taking out here mace and glaring at the bandit leader.

The leader chortled at the thought, showing broken, blacked teeth along with some bleeding gums. His mouth was just a dental disaster waiting to happen.

" A little girl like you? Haha!! How sad for you, but if you surrender, I'll promise to let you go," the bandit explained grinning.

" You bastard!" the girl shouted as she slapped the bandit across the face.

" Why you little!! I'm Yorick the Great, and you shall show me some respect!" the man shouted as he took out his axe, his forehead growing quite tense. He was definitely outraged.

Maria stood her ground and stared back at the man defiantly. Yorick returned the look with a hardened glare of his own, he smirked letting his axe lie on his shoulder.

" You leave us no choice! Men attack and destroy the farm! Loot and burn whatever is valuable," he commanded, " Now I'll show you some respect!" he shouted. They crowed back in agreement. Suddenly a bandit in the back fell down in pain,

" What!?" Yorick turned around.

" Leave her alone!" Sarkanto commanded as he emerged in front of the bandit's corpse. The other bandits turned to gape at him, drool oozing out of their mouths like giant babies.

They finally realized what was going on and took out their axes,

" Oh? Why should I listen to some red haired little boy like you?" the leader mocked,

" Because if you don't I'll tear you all to shreds!" Sarkanto shouted back, glaring angrily. A fireball emerged knocking another bandit down and into the dirt.

" Sar, don't forget about me!" Martin added as he emerged from the trees, his green cape flowing in the light breeze.

" Oh," Maria touched her gold necklace with surprise at the site of help from two strangers, she especially stared at Sarkanto.

_His eyes are so beautiful and calm even when he's angry_, she thought grinning, she snapped back to reality and noticed the bandit leader's back turned to her. She smirked as she struck at the man's back._ That's for being so rude_. She whispered

" Ugh!", he turned and slashed at Maria, " You little brats!" he screamed outraged.

Maria dodged with ease and struck this time at the man's stomach. He nearly choked and fell backward in pain. The other bandits grew tense and turned to face Sarkanto and Martin and then after a short pause they ran forward and attacked, their eyes filled with intense hatred and longing to do harm. Sarkanto blocked two attacks from the side and withdrew his swords causing the bandits to lose balance and then, while they were unstable, he stabbed the two in the chest. They went down with ease staining the ground with blood. Another bandit went after Martin throwing his axe like a boomerang at the Mage, " Why is it that I always get into these kind of situations?" he thought nearly dodging the axe.

His sandals pushed on the ground as he regained balanced, he took out his tome deftly and chanted, quickly, creating a small fireball, after he had finished chanting he unleashed it and struck at the bandit's chest. The bandit screamed as his dirty tang top lit on fire. He ran around in circles like a blubbering idiot not noticing his axe coming back for him, it struck the back of his head sending him down onto the ground. Martin laughed, silently, running over to help Sarkanto and Maria, but of course another bandit had gotten in his way, " Arggh!" he reached for his tome in frustration only to have it struck right out of his hands without his magic he was defenseless, he had other tomes but didn't bother reaching for them as it would be pointless to have his other tomes knocked right out of his hand like before,

" Umm.. Sar, I need some help over here," he called out. Sarkanto was busy sparing a bandit that was guarding the boss whom Maria fought. Sarkanto pushed back with his swords, forcing the man to drop his axe, while his guard was down he performed a horizontal strike across the man's chest and then he jumped up and performed a vertical slash across his skull sending him several feet away, he made sure the man was dead and then glanced over to where Martin was and ran to his aid. The bandit made his way closer, enjoying the fear he was striking into his prey, all Martin could do was back away until he had reached a tree.

The bandit grinned as he prepared to strike the little mage down. As if on cue his attack was blocked by a sword, Martin smiled, " About time," he murmured, " Heh, you can count on me" Sarkanto replied, with his other arm he grabbed Martin's tome and tossed it to him. Martin grinned as he opened it and side stepped to the left, sending a fireball into the bandit's side, with that Sarkanto sliced at the man's stomach causing him to collapse on the ground.

Meanwhile Maria and Yorick were locked in an intense showdown, Maria had gotten in a few blows, but Yorick was known for his incredible endurance, not to mention his strength.

" Stupid girl!! You're going to die now!" the leader shouted swinging his axe rapidly and striking down on Maria's breast, " Ah!" she screamed as the attack caused her to break down, blood spilling all over from her wound, " I said, leave her alone!" Sarkanto shouted glaring at the man, his eyes filled with hatred. The swordsman charged straight into the bandit leader his focus clouded by the need to spill blood, he was aiming for the man's heart.

All time seemed to slow as he stabbed at the man's chest and through his hate he managed not only to stab his heart, but he also sliced the man's right arm off.

" Arggh!! No!! I..must not...ugh," Yorick spoke as his other arm fell limp to his side, he fell dead, not uttering another word as his spirit seemed to slip away from his body. Sarkanto stared down at him, it seemed that it wasn't enough, he wanted to destroy the body. Raising his swords he made a X, ready cut up the body to pieces.

" Sar!!" Martin shouted, he ran up to his friend and grasped his right arm.

" Martin?" he replied as his eyes snapped back to focus no longer glazed with blood lust.

Maria stood up clutching her wound as she glanced up at Sarkanto, their eyes met instantly.

" I'm.. I'm Sarkanto," he spoke after a brief silence.

" I'm Maria, Thank you so much, Sarkanto," she replied, smiling, despite her wound.

The sun shone on the two and the birds began to chirp brightly. Sarkanto reached out to stroke her cheek.

" Here I'll heal that wound," Martin offered taking out his staff while ignoring the brief moment between the two. Sarkanto retreated his hand while Maria nodded as Martin held his staff over her wound.

There was a blue light emitted from the staff and after a few seconds it faded and the wound slowly began to close as if by magic. In fact it was magic.

" I'm Martin, by the way," the Mage said after the wound was fully healed.

" I'm Maria" she explained with a smile.

" Maria, why were you here all alone?" Sarkanto asked as he knelt down in front of them.

She paused before answering and began, " My mother and Grandmother recently went to town for some supplies.. I stayed behind to protect the farm as usual, but lately bandits have been ransacking farms and villages nearby so I had to be more careful now, you know?," she explained placing her hands on her lap.

" Oh.. That might be, because.." Martin paused.

" Because?"

" You see Yetzer invaded Daryth unexpectedly... They attacked the village throwing great chaos into the country. That may have caused the bandits to appear from their hideouts. With the country in peril most of Daryth's soldiers are out protecting the capital and driving off Yetzer's soldiers, thus leaving villages and farms unprotected." Martin explained. Maria furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the thought.

" Why would Yetzer do such a thing? They wouldn't possibly wage war without consulting Spartezar, their sister country, not to mention without Ochilotar's signed permission," she replied. At the mention of Spartezar Sarkanto cringed a little, hoping the others didn't notice this.

" I don't know.. You're right, though, it isn't like them,"

" So what are you two doing all the way out here anyway?" Maria asked.

" We're heading to the capital to check things out there. We think that the Dark Lord may have something to do with this," Martin replied casually.

" Martin!" Sarkanto scolded. Maria glanced at them with a questioning look.

" Dark Lord? You mean that inhuman creature that waged war with the entire continent five years ago? The one that wiped out an entire clan and devastated practically the whole continent?" Maria exclaimed, the topic was peaking her interest.

" The entire clan wasn't wiped out," Sarkanto said simply, lowering his head.

" Sar," Martin whispered, concern showing in his voice, this kind of discussion was striking a raw spot.

" What do you mean? There were no survivors..."

" There was.. I survived," Sarkanto told her. Maria was shocked at the thought of a dead clan instead being near extinction, the idea was simple blasphemy, " Impossible!! The clan was completely outnumbered!! The entire area was completely swallowed up, by the earth!" she exclaimed.

" I see... Well all of that is correct, but I did survive and I'll prove it," he replied solemnly, unsheathing one of his swords, " Only members of my tribe can do this," he stated, with a deep breath his sword lit immediately on fire, retaining its shape magically. She stared at it, as understanding was shown right at her face. _That means...Oh, I made a dreadful mistake.._

" You... No... I.. I'm sorry," Maria replied, sitting back down and lowering her gaze.

" I didn't know. No one was ever told of a survivor, everyone assumed the entire clan was dead.. But of course that means the Dark Lord wasn't as powerful as we thought," she added looking up hopeful. Sarkanto sheathed his swords, getting ready to argue with this.

" Sar, we should get going," Martin told him cutting in. Sarkanto sighed.

" Wait!" she exclaimed rising to her feet.

" I want... I want to go with you," she added.

Martin and Sarkanto looked at each other in disbelief.

" But, I thought you had to stay here with your mother and grandmother to protect the farm," Martin reasoned

" It's okay.. I'll leave them a message, it hasn't been the first time I've left home before.

They'll understand," she explained. Martin glanced at Sar, who was merely smiling.

" All right, we'll wait for you," Sarkanto said.

" Thanks! I won't take long!" she exclaimed, running to over to her farm. Martin stared at Sarkanto and then back at the girl that they had just met.. It seems that Sarkanto was right..

She ran forward, on the outside she seemed like in a rush, but on the inside she was as happy as happy could be. Her heart was racing and she could barely stop to catch a breath, but she finally gave in and stopped in front of the three huts that were about the size of a large room, these were used as bedrooms for her and her family. She ran into the one on the far left and closed the door loudly. Glancing about, Maria rummaged through her wooden dresser and drawers, her room was rather simple, a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a bunch of straw lay all around the back of the room making it smell like cow dung. She ran through her dresser taking out her large bag and stuffing it with her clothes, healing items, toiletries, and of course, her weapons. After going through her dresser she opened her desk drawer and found one of her most prized possessions.. Her Grandmother's Technique book. Careful not to drop it she held it with closed fingers, wrapping around it.

On the front cover, a note was attached. She took it out and opened it, letting nostalgia fill her mind, she seemed to travel back in time to where she first had read the letter..

_Dearest Maria,_

_You fill my heart with pride with your determination to wield the mace like so many before your mother and I._

_The mace is an unyielding weapon and yet it seems to be the perfect weapon for you, just like it was for your mother. For this very reason, I've decided that you are old enough to accept this book. This book has been passed down from my ancestors all the way back to when Daryth was first founded, it holds secret techniques that only mace wielders, like yourself, can only dream of.. With this book you will be able to perform great feats that will lead you to success.._

_Oh, but this book isn't your only gift, along with this box, there is a another one which I have wrapped up my special warriors garb, that was once worn by the great Poseidon, when the day comes you shall wear this garb like I have in my prime, and protect all others , as it is are sworn duty.. Oh, If only I could live to see the day.. The day where everything shall come to place.. I would feel so happy... But, I'm getting ahead of myself.. Anyway, remember to keep these possessions safe at all cost, and make sure you hang onto that medallion! Remember, I will always love you no matter what happens.._

_Love Grandmother,_

Maria held the book against her chest as a tear passed down her cheek. After a few moments of reminiscing, she placed the book on the bed and then returned her attention back to her dresser, she searched through it to find the box that had contained the sacred garb. It had been years and yet she still hadn't opened it. She smiled at it and laid it down next to the box that contained her book, but what she really was looking for was a pen and a piece of parchment. She dug even deeper into the depths of her rather messy and disorganized desk, throwing out feathers, old pieces of paper, and a small bear plushy, after she had made a complete mess of her room she had found the quill and parchment and carefully, yet swiftly, began to write her goodbye to the life of being a simple farm girl. With a heavy heart she packed up her stuff, carefully, and walked to the door. With a backward glance, she stepped outside to embrace the sunshine.

Her note remained on her bed, and soon enough her mother and grandmother would find it.

" Are you sure about this, Sar?"

" Of course we could really use some help plus I'm sure she knows her way around"

" You do too.. I do. We've lived on this continent five years ago..." Martin replied and then added, " That's not the reason."

" No.. You're right, but.."

" You like her don't you, Sar?" Martin asked, smirking.

" No!!" Sarkanto stammered growing red in the face. Martin laughed,

" You do realize what you're getting her into though.. Right?" he asked with a straight face.

" I do. I know that she will be a good addition to our group," he paused,

" Trust me," he added looking back at his friend.

" I always do," he replied as Maria approached them carrying the same large bag filled with supplies,

" I'm ready!" she told them, turning to face the road ahead, the road to the capital known as Carnot, their next destination. With that they walked forward, with a brief smile from Sarkanto, Maria heaved her pack onto her back and walked ahead. After they had reached the end of the path, Martin had stopped them.

" We'll have to go through the Forest of Destruction," Martin reminded them, Sarkanto and Maria nodded in anticipation and the three of them turned to face the vast, dark green, forest that was awaiting to devour their bodies.

" All right, let's go!" Sarkanto announced running into the forest.

" Wait for me!" Maria called running after the eager Sarkanto her long black boots making clicking sounds.

" Sar!! Maria!!" Martin called, " Ugh.. Why does Sar have to be so reckless?" he asked to no one in particular as he followed the two of them.

Upon entering the forest, the three of them were overcome by a terrible odor of rotting flesh and bone, " Repulsive!!" Maria exclaimed pointing to a pair of bones that laid by an old demon like tree. The forest itself seemed hostile as vines began to devour the bones instantly while millions of insects roamed the forest floor, concealed beneath the plants.

"Careful! This forest is known for monsters!" Martin pointed out, dodging ants and spiders.

" Monsters? You mean like centaurs and giant spiders?" Maria asked almost tripping over a vine.

"Martin!" Sarkanto scolded, " It's all right we'll be fine if any monsters show up I'll handle them," he told Maria stopping as a long root wrapped around his blue boot. He tugged at his leg to free himself but the root wouldn't let go as it slowly began to wrap around his entire boot..

" Get off!" Martin shouted casting a fireball and burning the root. The plant swirled up by the sudden attack, " A little paranoid aren't we?" Maria teased.

" You have to kill them right as they wrap around you, otherwise they will slowly wrap around the rest of your body until they reach your neck.. After that well," he paused,

" You die," he finished, sending a chill through the three. Maria spoke up at this,

" Die? No wonder they call it ' The Forest of Destruction'," she commented.

" Many people have ventured in here before.. Most survive, but others," Sarkanto began.

A sudden roar was heard in the distance of the forest. The trio looked around but it was barely visible, since the canopy covered up so much sunlight, " What..What was that?" Maria stammered, taking out her mace. The forest grew still.

" It was just a wolf I'm sure," Martin reassured, but reached for his tome just in case.

" No... That wasn't a wolf," Sarkanto said, unsheathing his swords. The roar was heard again, this time it was much more clearer. The insects scurried away.

" Does it seem closer to you guys?" Maria asked hearing the roar again this time it was much louder than ever before, " Calm down everyone, whatever it is I'm sure we can handle it," Martin said calmly as the forest suddenly grew even darker, " Great! Now it's even harder to see!" Martin commented.

" Stay close together!" Sarkanto commanded Maria and Martin obeyed immediately while sticking closer to Sarkanto, " If the enemy approaches I can heal and attack behind you while you hold of the monsters," Martin explained, Sarkanto nodded, as they heard a sudden rushing of leaves and broken twigs. It stopped suddenly as a cold mist shrouded the area.

" Martin, what's with the mist?" Maria asked strangely calm.

" Hmm.. Must be from the plants, when there's less sunlight and it gets colder some of the plants' release a mist into the air.. Usually its night time when that happens," he explained.

Sarkanto remained silent.

" But wasn't it daytime," Maria stopped as she was cut off by a sudden screech.


End file.
